Dangerous Alliances: Islam Can Only Survive in a Secular America

By Junaid M. Afeef

American Muslims need to consider the long-term implications of the domestic policies they support. Failing to do so will have profound negative consequences for the American-Muslim community.

American Muslims also need to re-think their political philosophy (and in some cases they need to actually adopt one). What is the underlying objective that American Muslims seek to promote through domestic American policies? Is it to implement morality codes consistent with Islamic theology? Is it to safeguard a free and open society where the pursuit of God remains unfettered? Both? Something else?

Dangerous Alliance

Over the past decade, a significant number of American Muslims, especially those active in mosques and establishment organizations, have aligned themselves with conservative Christians within the Republican Party. From the local man at the mosque to the mosque’s leader and all the way up to the leaders of the national Islamic organizations (ISNA, ICNA, MAS, etc.), those Muslims find refuge in the conservative Christian agenda (anti-abortion, anti-gay, pro-school prayer, school vouchers, references to God in public spaces, etc.) because they find their personal beliefs track very closely to the “family values” agenda advocated by conservative Christians, most of whom are active in the Republican Party.

Conservative Christians and the Republican Party may welcome Muslim alliances in the hopes of creating some sort of “coalition of the faithful” to support their agenda, but their alliance is one of convenience only. Conservative Christians have made their intentions very clear. The following are illustrative quotes from prominent conservative Christian leaders:

1. Simply put, it’s time for all of us to learn more details about Islam. As we do, we’ll discover that the sinister spirit of violence and hatred that inflames so many fundamentalist Muslims is indeed the attitude taught in the Quran.
--“The Truth About Islam” as published by Pat Robertson’s Ministries Today (December 2002)

2. I want you to just let a wave of intolerance wash over you. I want you to let a wave of hatred wash over you. Yes, hate is good...Our goal is a Christian nation. We have a Biblical duty, we are called by God, to conquer this country. We don't want equal time. We don't want pluralism.
--Randall Terry, Founder of Operation Rescue, The News-Sentinel, Fort Wayne, Indiana, 8-16-93

3. “The mission of the Christian Coalition is simple,” says Pat Robertson. It is “to mobilize Christians -- one precinct at a time, one community at a time -- until once again we are the head and not the tail, and at the top rather than the bottom of our political system." Robertson predicts that "the Christian Coalition will be the most powerful political force in America by the end of this decade." And, "We have enough votes to run this country...and when the people say, 'We've had enough,' we're going to take over!”

Conservative Christians and many Republicans have a shared worldview, and it does not include Islam and Muslims.

The current agenda of “family values” is only the beginning. It is merely the foundation upon which Republicans and conservative Christians will seek to build a Christian America. There will be no room for Islam and Muslims in a conservative Christian America.

Free, Open, Secular America

Islam can only survive and thrive in a free, open and secular United States of America. The most important thing for an American Muslim should be a free and secular America. Without freedom there can be no real right to believe and to worship. Without a secular society there can be no real freedom.

America is extremely diverse in its religious beliefs and values. To impose any single or narrow set of beliefs, even if couched in secular terms, is to infringe upon others’ freedoms. Perhaps, if the country were made up of 99.99% Christians, then it might make sense to pass laws based on Christian beliefs. However, even in such a case, for that society to be truly free, it would have to undertake extraordinarily zealous measures to safeguard the religious freedoms of the remaining 00.01% of its population.

Islam Is Not a Special Interest

By focusing on its own narrow, particularized needs, the American-Muslim community becomes just another special interest group. To live up to Islam, the American-Muslim community must champion the cause of justice of all.

Islam advocates justice. Justice is, if not part of the faith’s foundation, at least a cornerstone principle. Muslims are required to seek justice no matter what the consequences.

In America there are many issues that demand the attention and support of the American Muslim community. Some of these issues include: the plight of the indigent, the struggles of the working poor, the injustices of hate and discrimination and corporate corruption.

To paraphrase Rev. Al Sharpton, American Muslims need to focus more on helping people feed their families in the kitchen and less on what people do in the privacy of their bedrooms.

Junaid Afeef is an attorney, activist and writer in Illinois. He can be reached at junaid.afeef@gmail.com.